All posts filed under: entrepreneurship

In the end of December JS from Successful Styles visited Anna and Oxana founders of Life as an Investment and talked to them about success and their way to where they are now. Anna and Oxana are also founders of Kamishi AB, Hoam.ly and Stockholm International Swimming Club….. Originally published at Successful Styles. Every time I meet Anna it is like a new page opens up. It is unimaginable how much she knows, understands and is curious about. I don’t even remember the first time I met this girl, but what I do remember pretty good about her is her fiery mental strength. She is always hungry for learning more and does it in the best way she can. It seems to me it never matters whether it’s hard or not, she’ll do it anyways. When I mentioned that I want to write about her success, she instantly suggested inviting her closest friend and a business partner Oxana Sachenkova. The way she was talking about their friendship could not be ignored. Her story clearly wouldn’t be complete. There was no doubt these …

After the our with Oxana Hoam.ly project went into STING TEST DRIVE , I began asking myself “ Is a 24-hour day enough? ” At first I was positive that it will be. Preparing the seminars, reading, collecting information and writing about the process…AND having time for my private life—yeah right! Six weeks later, on the final week of presentations, I finally found time to grab a keyboard and write about STING TEST DRIVE program that we underwent. And the first issue I wanted to discuss is time management. WHY? Why do we have only 24 hours? I have no idea! But I do know that even if we had 48 hours in one day it still wouldn’t be enough! Here are some tips on how to organize the day and save your precious time, that I figured out during STING TEST DRIVE program: Sleep I don’t know about you but if I don’t get 7.5 to eight hours of sleep every day, I’m a total zombie! My productivity decreases and my chances of getting sick increase. And If I get sick, say goodbye …

Today our guest author is Ksenia Christiansen, legal counsel of Kamishi AB, with her review of tech startups from Stockholm, Sweden, which are on the way to revolutionize the LAW industry. Welcome! If you’re looking for trends, turn your attention to the Unicorn Valley of Stockholm—a place where the entire city pulse can be felt. This year is a pinnacle year for law and tech businesses—both riding the wave of success by combining their efforts and creating a contract law/business sphere. With convenience at the fore front, contract and judicial processes can now be executed by a simple computer click. The three startups that stand out (which may be helpful to you as an entrepreneur) are summed up in this article. Here are the hottest Tech & Law Startups – Stockholm style: Precisely – www.precisely.se The site is built to create standard agreements that are needed for startups. An obvious, perfect choice if you are starting a company and need basic guideline agreements. The contracts were good and informative. The best part of this …

Have you ever thought about why people give up? What makes us stop believing in ourselves? In our ideas and companies? Below are 7 possible reasons/suggestions that cause people to throw in the towel and give up. If you’re an entrepreneur—read on! 1. Unrealistic Expectations Our lives are unfortunately programmed to get fast results with just about everything we do. You post a picture on Instagram—you get likes. You post a status on Facebook—you get comments. Life has become a circus of procrastination and fast results. However, we all know that in the real world results usually come after years of trying. It’s true and nobody wants to hear it. 2. Fear of Failure We all fear the idea of failing. The more success stories we hear, the more we fear success. When I ask people what they would do if they had only two years left to live, the fear of failing is no longer an issue. Do not be afraid of failure. Ebba von Sydow, Swedish journalist and tv host says, “Every time I make a mistake, I understand that I am …

Life as an Investment has asked again our dear friend – Anastasiia Linnas – a finance and marketing consultant, start-up lover and blogger, to be our guest author and introduce our dear readers this time to Maltese start -ups. If you haven’t heard of Maltese start-ups, you soon will because right now they are major players in Europe’s hub of start-ups. In Malta, there is an impressive range of start-ups emerging, and in this article you will learn about the more significant ones which contribute to the islands start-up DNA. Similar to Estonian’s start-up scene with Skype at its centre, the Maltese start-up concept is quickly catching on with the help of GFI Software. GFI Software is now a global IT company valued at approximately $500million (2013), with one of its divisions planted in Malta and responsible for key developments and progressions. GFI is probably best known for its TeamViewer product (acquired by Permira in 2014), as well as security, anti-malware and cloud services. One very successfull start-up in Malta, Altaro, was founded in 2009 by two …

Sooner or later all startups need funding, and cash is the fuel to get it driving in the right direction. But where will that cash come from? There are a lot of variants involved—such as size, age and industry in which the startup will operate. These elements as well as desired growth expectations will need to be defined before pinpointing and attaining financial resources. For those who are in the beginning phase (seed phase), finding the right partnership with an investor is crucial. A solid and trustworthy partnership with an investor takes time and effort. Again, it’s a b**** because you need to minimize failures and maximize successes. You need to know HOW to choose your target group of possible investors. Ok, you are at the beginning of making your business a reality. You have a clear picture of how it’s supposed to work….and maybe you have already developed the product (or service). And now you need the fuel. The best investors are actually 1. Your clients! Make your clients pay you first, explains Anna Söderblom, …

Life as an Investment has asked Anastasiia Linnas – a finance and marketing consultant, start-up lover and blogger, to be our guest author and introduce our dear readers to Three Hottest Estonian Start-ups… We wrongly supposed that there are only three… When I was asked to write an article about three Estonian start-ups, I was a bit puzzled, because straightaway I could name 33* of them (my Mac actually froze after opening their home pages). During the last 10 years, Estonia has managed to build a strong matrix of start-ups. And, the most significant contributor to this system is probably Skype. Today, the most successful start-ups in Estonia are founded by the so-called “Skype Mafia.” So, I did my best to come up with a list of three that IMHO, fit into the Life as an Investment philosophy. Save! TransferWise is one of the most well-known start-ups that originated in Estonia and is often a guest on TechCrunch news, a popular digital information source providing PR strategies and a wide range of general news. I don’t know about your …

Women are usually considered risk averse in the investment world. In business too, women are stereotyped as being cautious of risk and responsibility—and prefer mostly support roles. Recently we talked with Nina Nordling—entrepreneur, motocross enthusiast, and a woman thriving despite these stereotypes. We are grateful that Nina has agreed to share with Life as an Investment of how she followed her passion of sports and how she changed her world among many doubters. Facts box: Name: Nina Nordling Age: 31 Family: Nina is in a relationship with the love of her life, who also happens to be her ex-husband. She is a legal guardian of three kids. Bio Startup entrepreneur and CEO of the social venture High Heaven, a worldwide digital meet-up for women looking fortheir next adrenaline adventure. …

(THIS IS THE SECOND PART. Read the first part here) Things weren’t that bad at Stockholm Tech Fest. We actually got to meet some very talented and creative people in the Tech industry….people who are changing the future….people who we chose to discuss here today. In fact, one of them won the Life as an Investment Award! Detectify https://detectify.com/about Built in 2012 CEO Rickard Carlsson Who are they? Detectify audits your site’s security so that you can focus on web development. They were born from the simple concept that the internet is broken—and now today we have a full-blown SaaS application that has moved-on to become one of the most exciting new companies in web security. Why are you the hottest and the coolest start-up in the Stockholm Tech scene right now? Our competitors do not perform as well as you would expect. We are a security company, and that means preserving confidentiality and integrity. Our competitors cannot keep up with the ever-evolving web landscape. And beyond that, we can hack right through you. …

Week 36 in Stockholm the tech scene was in full swing! It was highlighted by a Swedish- based company known as Klarna – who arranged the event which was devoted exclusively to tech-creative women. The “Women Create Tech” theme gathered over a 1000 women at Klarna’s headquarters to talk about their role in the hottest investment field in the country – IT. According to official statistics in 2013, investments in the Technology field increased by 60%. Following the Klarna event, the “Stockholm Tech Fest” took place, attracting over 2000 participants – the largest ever in Sweden. At the conclusion of “Tech Week” in Stockholm, Life as an Investment ran the “Wild Women Do” workshop organized by Marie Milligan, Pyladies Stockholm and sponsored by Lifesum. When the three-day marathon was over Merenlin and I sat down in a café trying to sort out the “reality” of what just took place. The STHLM Tech Fest raised a wave of discussions on in the media about diversity in the tech industry. Some of the comments and posts had …